The library meeting with Leah became a safe haven. Every Thursday, for two hours, they lived in there own small world of research, codes and shared snacks. Cameron could almost pretend he was normal. Almost.
But the outside world always have a way of disrupting the fragile peace he finds himself in.
On Tuesday morning, he received an unexpected text from an unknown number..
Unknown Number: It's time to review your progress so far in this semester. - RR
Richard Reed. Cameron's fingers tightened around his phone. Even with him going far away, they can still stretch their claws to get to him.
He typed a reply, attaching his flawless grades for the semester.
Class project: Carried out a research on corporate partners. Assigned to the Blackwood's group for potential internship opportunities, as discussed.
The reply came fast. He went straight to what he wants. "Have you made connections?"
Cold sweat ran through Cameron's body. 'Connections?' He thought of the black card, the summit, the terrifying eye contact with Alexander Sterling. "No. No direct contact. Just building foundational knowledge first".
"That wasn't the plan. You need to make connections, make contact. Your sister said you met with Lucas Thorne. He's a well-connected young man. Use that".
So Chloe was reporting on him. And Richard didn't think that Lucas is a threat. He sees him as tool to be used. Of course he will think that way. Anger, hot and sour, rose in Cameron's throat. He was still their chess piece, still being moved around the board.
"Lucas is at a different university. The connection is irrelevant to my program", he typed back, fighting to hold back his hatred.
"All connections are relevant. I need an update in two weeks with your progress".
Cameron threw his phone on his bed. The walls of his dorm felt like they were closing in on him. He was out of the house, but he was still being controlled. The pressure was too much and were coming from all sides now…the mysterious sterlings, the interest from Blackwood, and the greedy hands of the Reeds, still trying to pull strings.
He needed air. He needed to run.
——————
In the evening, he was in the kitchen's form, boiling water for his ramen when a news on the TV caught his attention. It was an entertainment update.
"...and in glamorous Monaco, Anastasia Sterling not only took the podium but also dedicated her win to 'family resilience' in an excellent post-race interview. The superstar, often private about her personal life, seemed emotional…"
Cameron looked up, chop sticks frozen in hand. On the screen, Anna Sterling stood in a racing suit, her face smeared with grease and triumph, hazel eyes glittering under the floodlights. She was breathtaking, an enchanting force to behold.
The reporter shoved a microphone toward her. "Anastasia, a beautiful win! You dedicated your victory to 'family resilience'… can you tell us more about that?"
Anna's brilliant smile softened into something more vulnerable, more real. She looked directly into the camera, and for a second, Cameron felt like she was looking directly at him through the screen.
"You hold onto hope," she said, her voice thick with overflowing emotion. "Even when it's just a spark. You never let it go. Because family… it's the root of everything. And some roots…" She paused, swallowing hard. The camera zoomed in. A single tear traced a clean line down her cheek. "Some roots you spend your whole life trying to find again."
And that was it. It camera turned it's focus to the audience.
Cameron stood with moving. The pot of water boiled over, hissing violently on the hotplate, but he didn't hear it. He only saw that tear. Only felt her words clawing at the darkest, hidden side of his chest.
Some roots you spend your whole life trying to find again. That sentence kept ringing in his head.
The thought he'd tried to bury resurfaced. They were looking. Not as a corporate scheme nor a public stunt. They were hurting, grieving… for him.
The Sterlings weren't a threat or just a clue. They were a family missing a child they lost. And he might be that child. How he came to that conclusion, he doesn't know.
The ramen was ruined. He turned off the stove and stumbled back to his room. He pulled out his burner phone, his hands shaking. He opened his encrypted file, stared at the word STERLING, and now all he could see was Anna's tear-streaked face.
He had to know. He had to be sure. The web crawler was slow, it's not enough. He needed to move fast. But how? He couldn't just walk up to Alexander Sterling. He couldn't call Anna.
An idea, came to mind. It is dangerous but it's the only thing he could think of. The summit entry pass was from Blackwood and Blackwood monitor him.
He logged into the secure server where he'd submitted his report. He didn't send it to Graves. He typed a new message, without a specific address, hoping the right person would see it.
"I want to carry out a DNA match search to find my real parents but I want it to be a secret. I don't want the intended family to know. Can you help me".
He was asking Blackwood to help him spy on the Sterlings. It was madness. It was the only way out.
The reply came few minutes later.
"What are you playing?"
Cameron's heart hammered against his ribs. He typed a reply, fingers shaking.
"I want you to help me find out if the Sterlings are my real family".
The cursor blinked. For a long time, there was no reply. Then it came.
That's not possible. Do not bring up this topic again. The Sterlings are not what you can comprehend. You are not capable of handling the consequences.
What was he thinking. He should have known Blackwood wasn't going to help. He was warning him off. He was reminding him to huge power gap between his world and theirs.
Before he could process the refusal, a second message came in.
However. Your… possible connection… with the Sterlings is noted. Continue your studies. I will contact you when you have something valuable to exchange.
The message was clear: He needs to get more stronger, to have value, to have something to give out before making contact with the Sterlings.
Cameron sank back in his chair, the adrenaline draining away, leaving him empty and cold. He was trapped. The Reeds on one side, wanting to use him for their personal gain. The Sterlings a sorrowful, mysterious famiy. And in the middle was Aaron Blackwood, watching, waiting to see which way he'd break.
He had no one. Nothing to trade. Just fragments of memory and a face on a TV screen that made his chest burn.
The knock on his dorm door was so soft he almost didn't hear it.
He jumped, his fight-or-flight instinct kicking in. He crept to the door, peering through the peephole.
Leah stood in the hallway, holding a textbook and looking apologetic. "Hey. Sorry to disturb you in your room. I left my cryptography notebook in the library yesterday. The janitor said he gave it to the guy I was studying with. Did you grab it by any chance?"
Cameron stared at her through the tiny lens. Her face was open, worried, normal.
He took a deep breath. He unlocked the door and opened it.
"Yeah," he said, his voice rough. He turned and took the notebook from his desk. He handed it to her. "Here."
"Oh, thank God," she sighed, hugging it to her chest. "You're a lifesaver." She studied his face. "You okay, Cameron? You look… really pale."
The simple question, the genuine concern, was the final straw. The walls he'd built so high, the control he'd fought so hard to maintain, crumbled.
"No," he whispered, the word cracking as it left his throat. "I'm not okay."
He didn't explain. He just stood there, in the doorway of his lonely room, finally admitting the truth to another human being.
Leah didn't push. She didn't ask for details. She just nodded slowly. "Okay," she said softly. "That's okay."
She didn't leave. She just stood there, a silent, steady presence in the hallway, offering a different kind of anchor in the raging sea of his life.
For the first time, Cameron didn't feel entirely alone in the storm.